That’s according to the website Walk Score, which rates cities and neighborhoods on their walkability. Its algorithm takes into account how far people have to walk to reach the nearest amenities — coffee shops, restaurants, grocery stores, theaters and the like. Heat maps give a visual depiction, with green being the most walkable and red being the least.
Dallas has a rating of 47, and in Walk Score’s rankings, that makes it “car dependent.” No real surprise there. The score makes it the 30th most walkable city in the United States. (Slate has a story on the five most and least walkable U.S. cities.)
Walk Score also breaks cities down into walkable neighborhoods. Downtown, Uptown and Oak Lawn areas top the list, but the M Streets are right behind them, the 6th most walkable neighborhood in Dallas with a score of 69 — “somewhat walkable,” and one point away from being “very walkable.” Most of us have seen evidence of this on the weekend when Lower Greenville is alive and kicking, and I’d be curious to know how many neighbors who live on the adjacent streets take the opportunity to walk to lunch or dinner. (Oh, to live near Corner Market and Izmir Deli, two of my most frequented lunch spots.)
The rest of our neighborhood, identified by Walk Score as Northeast Dallas, is the 16th most walkable in the city with a score of 49, making it “car dependent.” Though there are a few brighter spots, as you can see on the map.
Walk Score’s disclaimer is that it doesn’t take into account factors such as street design, safety from crime and accidents, or topography. Slate also has an interesting story on the software engineers behind Walk Score, its embrace by Realtors and urban planners, and whether Americans actually care about walkability.
